Principles for Relationships from God's Word by Claudio Consuegra

Caring for the terminally ill – 2

The dying groan in the city, And the souls of the wounded cry out; Yet God does not charge them with wrong. Job 24:12 (NKJV)

In an AARP (American Association of Retired People) bulletin, Paula Spencer Scott[i] shares nine facts you need to know to decide if hospice is right for you or a loved one:

If you start hospice and realize it’s not for you, you can stop. You need to have an ongoing conversation with your health care team in order to decide the best treatment approach you want for your loved one according to their current needs. The conversation is “ongoing” because goals and needs evolve.

You may live longer during the time you have left. According to research, patients in hospice care on average live longer than those receiving standard care. For instance, a 2010 study of lung cancer patients showed that they lived nearly three months longer. Another study, which looked at the most common terminal diagnoses, found the same, ranging from an average of 20 more days for gallbladder cancer to 69 days for breast cancer.

You can still see your regular doctor. The basic hospice team consists of a physician and nurse who are on call 24 hours a day, a social worker, a counselor or a chaplain, and a volunteer. Many hospices offer added services such as psychologists, psychiatrists, home health aides, art or pet therapists, nutritionists, and occupational, speech, massage or physical therapists. But the hospice team does not replace your regular doctor and you are always in charge of your medical decisions.

The goal of pain management in hospice is to enable you to live well, not sedate you. Pain medicine is not simply intended to make the person sleepy to the point where they can’t interact. Instead, if you live with pain that is not managed properly, it makes you more tired and irritable, and robs you of quality of life. If drugs like morphine are used, they are intended to treat anxiety and to lessen pain, which has been shown to be undertreated at the end of life, not hasten death or to rob you of interaction with your loved ones, as some people believe.

Father, help me to make all these important decisions carefully and to aim for quality of life for my loved ones.